In response to the Right-to-Repair Pact announced recently by the Automotive Service Association, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists and Alliance for Automotive Innovation, MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers released a statement saying that the agreement highlights crucial elements in the fight for consumer choice and a fair market in automotive repair access. MEMA also believes the agreement demonstrates that stakeholders can and should collaborate to find a solution that is in the best interests of the motoring public and the marketplace. But MEMA states that it also highlights that the agreements in place now fall short of protecting the future of repair access.
MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers supports progress toward a solution to repair access, and it sees this agreement as a step in the right direction to ensure that consumers are protected. However, MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers believes the agreement falls short of all the protections necessary to ensure consumer choice now and into the future for all parties, not only signatories of the pact. As a transportation industry, MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers believes that there will only be one opportunity to pass federal legislation and that legislation must include the ability to prioritize and protect consumers’ access to both light duty and heavy-duty vehicle repair and maintenance through all iterations of vehicle technology on the road today and to come.
MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers believes that legislation must include:
- All vehicles in operation, light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty
- Access to telematics and diagnostics data beyond that available just through the OBDII port
- An enforcement mechanism
- The ability for independent repair shops, using bi-directional communication, to update vehicles and parts to the latest software
- Addressing the risk of repair monopolies
- Language to protect consumers’ access to both light duty and heavy-duty vehicle repair, maintenance and parts of their choosing through all iterations of vehicle technology on the road today and to come.
MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers believes the agreement does advance the conversation around right to repair and consumer choice, but if automakers and repair shops are prioritized over consumers, fair competition and a free market would not be realized. As a key stakeholder in protecting consumers’ rights and an essential part of the value chain, MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers says it must be a part of the conversation.
MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers welcomes the opportunity to work with all parties to align on a federal solution that reflects the principles of consumer choice and a free market, includes the expertise of the supplier community, has a mechanism for real enforcement, and prioritizes consumers, their safety, and their economy — and the innovative industry it serves. The Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act (H.R. 906) addresses these needs, and MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers continues to support this bill that addresses the above concerns and creates a repair ecosystem that puts consumers at the center.
For more information on MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers, visit mema.org/aftermarket-suppliers.
